Congratulations, President Obama


From Anonymous:

From your blog on 6-10 which read "In my opinion (yes, I‘m allowed to have one, T), Mr. Obama is the leader we‘ve all been waiting for and--thanks to God--has arrived just in time to lead our country into the Global Age! Everybody get on board!!" to now --what changed your opinion so drastically?

Thank you, Anonymous! I would love nothing more than to bloviate on about what seems to be my drastic change in opinion about the election!

Since my return to North America nearly eight months ago, I have been captivated by Mr. Obama’s charm, charisma, and intelligent rhetoric. From the first time I watched him speak, I knew we had the leader we needed to lead us into the global age.

My enthusiasm was quickly challenged by the cynics in my midst; He’ll just be assassinated, they said, He’s just another politician, nothing’s going to change. To some extent they were right; Mr. Obama is in the unenviable position of having to play a dirty game, and no one plays this game without getting dirty. In politics as in everything else, you can’t please all the people all the time.

Yes, Mr. Obama is a politician, but he is also the face of our future and his election to the Presidency will completely transform our image abroad, reaffirming our reputation as the land of hope and opportunity. After eight years of the racist, arrogant, and exploitative policies of the Bush Administration, our friends abroad have rightly lost faith in the American dream. Nobody imagined we Americans could elect a black man to lead us. And that is why America is so great, because we WILL elect a black man to lead us!!

The fact that my home state of California has always gone Democratic means there is no question that Mr. Obama already has our electoral votes. That gives me the luxury of using my vote in a more symbolic way; to protest the exclusivity of two-party politics. I have, in fact, never voted for any Democrat or Republican in any election as a general protest against our unbalanced electoral system. Were there any question whatsoever about the outcome in California, I would have to reconsider my "throwaway" protest vote. But there isn’t, so I don’t.

So, dear Anonymous, despite what it looks like, my opinion has not actually changed at all. Mr. Obama, the new face of America, has arrived just in time to salvage what’s left of our dignity, our dreams, and our economy. I knew then as I know now that Mr. Obama is our next president. It’s already done, folks, so everybody just get on the bus!!

All my love,
LMA

Declaration of Political Will

I regret to inform you that Ms. Lola has let both herself and her country down by failing to vote in the American presidential election. Lola would like to take this opportunité to:

1) express deep remorse and regret for the inexcusable and unpatriotic offense of failing to fulfill her civic duty by not requesting an absentee ballot in due time.
2) encourage all peoples to please vote.
3) officially pledge my support for Mr. Ralph Nader as the next President of the United States. That is, I reject the blatant exclusion of third parties and find the two main parties in our country to be equally unsupportable. So, go Ralph!

more soon...

LMA

Bonne Fête à...Moi!

To commemorate the symbolic passage of yet another year, I put together the following list of things I want to do in my life. And I encourage you to take a few moments and do the same. A little self-inspiration can go a long way!



Life Dreams 1.0

Speak seven languages fluently (Spanish, French, Arabic, Japanese, Russian, and Hindi!)
Read and write Sanskrit
Learn to sail
Work on a boat
Visit Bedouin peoples in the Sinai desert
Play the guitar
Work on an organic farm
Teach yoga to children
Learn to dance!
Make a short documentary film
Write something that gets published
Trek in the Himalaya
Ride the Trans-Siberian train to Moscow
Shave my head
Travel with Gypsies
Adopt a goat named Chuck
Meditate
Swim in every ocean and sea in the world
Make a family


This is just the beginning, folks, and I have a feeling 2009 is going to be a pivotal year. Big things are in the works and all I have to say is...bring it on!!

Stay tuned as I do plan to post in more detail soon. I am busy teaching English and taking a French class that is too hard, but my time here is quickly coming to an end as in just a few weeks time I will make my way back to California to check in with the family..

May Lord Krishna be with you always in your hearts,
Lola Maria



PS Ducks kicked some Canadian arse the other day for a 6-4 victory. Go Ducks!!!

Just Because She Is a Character Doesn’t Mean She Has Character



The game is always changing. At least, the illusion that is my environment that seems like a game is always changing.

I am deeply influenced by my surroundings. For better and worse, I am afflicted with acute perception and general sensitivity.

The relentless drone of a leaf blower could send me into hysterics back in my San Diego days. The high pitch of a muted television was a subtle but piercing pressure in my ears and head that grew slowly and steadily until I finally had to scream and run away.

Thanks to God those days are behind me now. Since then I've learned some survival skills - like selective tuning - in the battlegrounds of the desert, the capital, and then India. But the tendency remains and the battle is by no means over.

What I mean to say is that a proper environment is essential. Of course. Compassion, patience, and tolerance. Of course.


The Big Gamble

I can’t shake the feeling that, in this moment, all the pieces are up in the air. I don’t think I have even one single piece in place. I have recurring themes, a few very strong beliefs, a deep faith in the rightness of all things, continuously evolving philosophies and lots of idealistic dreams. But no actual pieces yet. It’s a bit frightening, yes, but some proverbial point of no return has been crossed and there is no choice left now but to go for it.

The next year will be a formidable one; a whole new dimension of difficulty awaits my youthful and carefree little self. I sense the weight of looming challenges. If only I could fathom what they were! The suspense is killing me.

The Royal We wonders, wouldn't it be lovely if we could appreciate what we have while we still have it? Must we lose things in order to finally appreciate them? And what if we spent less time obsessed about future plans and events and possibilities, and focused instead on enjoying what's right under our noses? La, la, la, blah, blah, blah.


Incidentals

Good news is I got a new bicycle! Bad news is that my previous bicycle was stolen due to my lackadaisical faith in the basic goodness of all Montrealers (Read: I didn't lock it up).

Good news is last week I started a French class that I really enjoy. Bad news is it ended today; tomorrow I head out to the suburbs for more painting fun.

Good news is the autumn is officially here and the picturesque streets are swirling with crispy golden yellow leaves. Bad news is I feel like a linebacker when I leave the house, piled high with multiple layers of winter equipment (coat, boots, scarf, hat and gloves).

And last but not least, I have to note that the economic implosion and the fast-approaching presidential election have really got my panties in a wad! It’s exciting, among other things. And every day it just keeps getting more and more incredible. It’s like Disney has taken over the federal government and the muppets invaded D.C.! I guess the bad news there is the impending doom for regular people all over the world, but at least the US goes out with a grande finale!


still clinging to some shreds of sanity,
with affection,
LMA

Sorry I haven't written in a while. Things have been a little bit hairy.


more soon,
LMA